How Do You Go On?
by ILoveTheCubs
Summary: My take on the events of the 9/7 episode re: Scrubs/Lisa. Will be multiple chapters. Lucky steps up to help an old friend.
1. Chapter 1

-1How Do You Go On?

Chapter 1

Lucky arrived at the nurses station hub to find the whole area blanketed in tension and anger. Robin was standing off by the couch and the table in the waiting area by herself. Lucky could tell by looking at her that she was wound tight as a coil, anger practically shimmering off her. He couldn't remember ever seeing Robin look that before.

Lisa was leaning against the nurses station holding a hand to her bruised cheek. To Lucky's eye she looked surprised, but also smug. Steve, Matt, Epiphany, and Maya were all standing stunned and silent looking warily between the two women. Patrick stood between the two women, trapped, shooting anxious looks at each woman.

"What happened here?" Lucky asked as he approached the group.

"She attacked me." Lisa yelled, pointing her finger accusingly at Robin.

"She threatened my baby." Robin said quietly, her cold angry gaze never leaving Lisa.

Lisa just shook her head in denial. "That's a lie. I was with Patrick scrubbing in for surgery." She waited to see how Robin would react to that.

Patrick shot Robin a pained look. "She was, but," he turned to Lucky, "I don't know where she was before that."

Lucky took Robin's arm and led her further away from the assembled group so that they could sit on the couch. "Is Emma okay?"

Robin closed her eyes. She couldn't believe this was her life. "Yeah. She's downstairs in the nursery."

"Good. What happened? How did she threaten Emma?" Lucky asked her gently.

"I'm not crazy, Lucky." She whispered trying desperately to fight back tears. She'd be damned if she let these people see her cry.

"Hey, I know. I've known you longer than any of these people, remember?" He'd known Robin most of his life.

"I know." She sniffled and thought about Lucky as a boy and his friendship with Stone. "She," She glared at Lisa. "She boiled one of Emma's toys." Her stomach rolled just thinking about it. "It was like something out of a movie. I walked into my lab and there's Emma's favorite toy puppy boiling in a beaker."

"Jesus." Lucky muttered under his breath. He couldn't blame Robin for freaking out after seeing that.

"And I know that there will be no trace of her in the lab, and that she'll find twenty-seven people who saw her all over the hospital. And I'm going to look like I'm crazy." Lisa cheated with her husband, ruined her life, and still somehow managed to come out the victim.

Lucky sighed, knowing that Robin was probably right. Lisa Niles was doing a damn good job of gas lighting Robin, and unfortunately Robin wasn't making it all that hard for her. "She's going to eventually, and when she does, we'll be ready." He pulled the ringing phone from his belt. "Spencer, yeah, okay, great." He spoke to the person on the other end and then disconnected the call. He turned his attention back to Robin. "That was your uncle. He's ordered a complete forensics sweep of your lab. He asked me to get you and Emma out of here."

"Okay." She rose shakily to her feet and took a deep breath. "Steve." She said as the Chief of Staff approached her. "I'm so sorry."

"I'm sorry too, Robin." He hated what he was about to do, and found it hard to meet her eyes.

"Are you firing me?" She whispered, her eyes widening in shock and horror.

"No." He shook his head. "But as much as I don't want to, I'm going to have to suspend you. Unpaid."

"Steve, come on." She started to protest, but deep down she knew that it was futile.

"I know what she did. But you assaulted her, Robin, and she could make huge problems for the hospital if she wanted to. And you and I both know she's capable of that." It was his job as Chief of Staff to put the hospital and its needs first.

She looked between Lucky and Steve. "How long?"

"Pending the outcome of a full investigation. You'll need to turn in your badge and clear out your stuff until then."

"I'll personally bring her by to get her stuff in the morning." Lucky promised. Right now he just wanted to get her and Emma out of here. "Let's go get Emma." He spoke quietly to Robin.

Patrick cleared his throat and spoke up. "I can get your stuff for you." He couldn't believe how quickly things were unraveling. What was worse, he didn't know how to stop it.

"No." She said adamantly, shaking her head for emphasis. "I don't want your help. You have done enough. I can't believe you brought this woman into our lives." She hissed angrily.

"Robin, not here." Lucky whispered in her ear. "Come on."

"You're right." She pushed past Patrick and made her way to the elevator.

Robin sighed as Lucky pulled the car into the driveway of the house she shared with Patrick. She turned to look at Emma sleeping peacefully in the backseat. Entering this house should never be something painful. Something that she dreaded. "Thank you so much, Lucky. For driving us around, for bringing us here to get our stuff, and taking us to Mac's. I'm sure you had better things to do tonight."

"We're friends, it's not a big deal." He got out of the car and came around to open her door. "And besides it's rough with the boys in California. He gently lifted a sleeping Emma out of her car seat and followed Robin into the house.

"Robin, thank God, where have you been?" Patrick turned at the sound of the door opening. "I've been worried sick." His hair was a mess and she could tell that he'd been running his hands through it repeatedly. "Robin." He called her name out helplessly when she didn't answer him.

She turned to Lucky. "Can you wait here with Emma. I'm just going to pack a few things, and then I'll be ready." She pressed a soft kiss to Emma's head.

"Robin, where are you going? You can't take our daughter out of the only home she's ever known." He frantically followed her to the back of the house.

She stopped in the doorway and turned back to Patrick. "Emma is not safe here. Lisa comes and goes from this house at will. She destroyed our wedding photo, she stole my HIV medication, and she took Emma. Tonight was the last straw. Emma and I are going to Mac's." She strode to the back of the house determined to get the things she and Emma would need and then leave.

When Robin was out of sight Patrick turned to Lucky. "Why are you encouraging this?" He asked quietly so as not to wake his little girl.

"I don't think Robin is wrong. Lisa is unstable, and she's getting more and more desperate, which makes more dangerous than ever." Lisa seemed to buy into her own delusions which made her an even bigger threat to Robin and Patrick. "How can you not see that?" He wanted to ask Patrick why he wasn't standing up for his wife, putting up a more rigorous defense of Robin and her sanity. He'd barely said two words at the hospital.

Patrick raked his hand through his hair. "I love Robin and Emma. I don't want to lose my family."

Lucky just sighed. This situation was a mess no matter how you looked at it. "You should have thought about that before you cheated on your wife."

"Like you've never made a mistake? Please." He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked around the living room. Just weeks ago they'd all been happy here. What he wouldn't give to go back and fix things.

"Sure, I've made tons of mistakes. We all have. No one's perfect. But you can't just wave 'I love my family' around like it's some kind of magic wand that's going to fix everything and make all this go away. Maybe you and Robin will survive this, maybe you won't, but you're going to have to work hard to make it happen." And sometimes all the effort in the world didn't fix all the damage.

"I am working, it's Robin who's running away." His wife was in their room packing to leave and take their daughter.

"Robin is protecting her daughter. And you can't honestly expect her to forgive and forget and just go back to being a happy family like nothing ever happened in a weeks time." Lucky shook his head in amazement.

Robin came back into the living room wheeling a suitcase behind her, a tote back and her purse over her shoulder. "I'm ready." She gave Patrick a long look that he was unable to read and followed Lucky to the car.


	2. Chapter 2

-1Chapter 2

"Hi." She pulled the door to the Scorpio house open and greeted Lucky. "I need like five minutes to get Emma cleaned up and ready." She led Lucky back into the kitchen where Emma was finishing breakfast.

"Here, I brought you coffee." He handed her one of the cups out of the drink carrier he'd brought in with him.

"Thanks." She smiled gratefully at him. She took a drink and then set the glass on the counter so she could wet a paper towel to wipe Emma's face and hands.

He leaned against the door jam and watched her interact with her daughter. If he had to guess, he'd say these times with Emma were about the only times she was close to at peace and happy. "You look tired." He took a drink of his own coffee.

She looked down at her jeans and fitted black t-shirt self-consciously, and ran a hand over the hair she'd thrown into a messy ponytail. "I'm not sleeping well. I can't get my mind to turn off." She pulled Emma out of her high chair. "I don't even know how to begin making sense out of any of this."

He looked down at his coffee cup. "I'm not sure it ever really makes sense."

"That's encouraging." She grabbed her purse and Emma's diaper bag. She just wanted to wake up and realize that this had all been some sort of terrible nightmare.

Robin stood in front of her open locker staring blankly inside. The pictures she'd brought in just weeks ago to replace the damaged ones hung on the door. A few toiletries, some scrubs and sweats, and the binders containing her research littered the shelves. She packed the practical items into the box she'd brought first. She fingered the pictures lightly and then turned to Lucky who was sitting on the locker room bench entertaining Emma. "I don't know what to do with these. It's like these people don't even exist anymore."

He sighed and looked down at Emma who was playing with his badge. "Keep them. You don't know how this is going to turn out."

She leaned against her locker warily. "I trusted him so completely, and he knew what that meant for me to give my heart to someone again. But what he has done to Emma, the threat that he has brought into her life because of his actions. I don't know that I can forgive him for that. I'm so angry at him, Lucky. I don't even know how to explain the kind of anger I'm feeling right now." She carefully untapped the pictures from her locker and placed them in one of the binders containing her research.

"I get it, Robin, you don't have to explain it. I've been there, twice. If it's any consolation at least Lisa's not your sister and Patrick didn't get her pregnant. Liz has a real knack for getting pregnant when she cheats on me. " Lucky shook his head in disgust; upset with himself that Elizabeth's betrayals and his own inability to see the truth could still bother him.

Robin closed her locker and came to sit next to Lucky. "No, Lisa's just a psychopath determined to get me and my daughter out of the way any means necessary. She pulled Emma onto her lap and held her close.

"Hey come on now," he reached over and took Robin's hand in his, "Lisa is not going to be able to get to you and Emma."

"She's been doing a pretty good job so far."

"Well that ends now. I'm a Spencer and you're a Devane and a Scorpio. We're resourceful and we are more than capable of taking care of ourselves." Their parents had taught them young and had taught them well how to survive.

"Our parents made sure of that, huh?" The sound of the locker room door opening caught her attention. "Steve." The Chief of Staff came through the door. "We were just leaving."

"I'm really sorry that it has to be this way." He knew what Robin was going through and he hated that he was adding to it.

She stood up and shifted Emma in her arms. "I understand you have a job to do.

"Steve." Lucky nodded to the man who had almost become his brother-in-law again and picked up Robin's box.

"Robin." Patrick caught up with them at the elevator. "I heard you and Emma were here."

"We're leaving." She informed him and pushed the down button. She wasn't going to have another meltdown in the hospital. She was done giving Lisa or anyone else ammunition against her.

"Robin, come on, this is crazy, please talk to me." He pleaded with her. She hadn't answered any of his calls last night.

"I don't have anything to say to you right now, Patrick. And I don't want to fight with you in the middle of the hospital or in front of our daughter." She looked around the floor to see doctors and nurses already stopping by the hub to see what would happen.

"You and Emma belong home with me. I miss you." He reached out and touched her cheek.

She took a step back. "If you want to spend time with Emma you can come to my Uncle Mac's after your shift."

"Robin." He was interrupted by the ding announcing the arrival of the elevator. He didn't say anything else, just watched them get on the elevator.

Lisa leaned her forearms on the railing of the balcony and watched the scene below play out. She just shook her head and walked away when she saw the elevator doors close and Robin disappear from view.


	3. Chapter 3

-1Chapter 3

Robin sat on the couch in the Scorpio living room her feet tucked under her, and mug of coffee sitting on the table in front of her. Emma was napping peacefully in Robin's childhood bedroom hopefully oblivious to the drama going on around her. She checked the baby monitor on the table to make sure it was on and working. The house was so quiet. Mac and Maxie were both at work, and with Emma asleep, she was all alone with her pain and her thoughts.

She reached around behind her for the throw that Mac kept over the couch and wrapped it around herself. She reached for her cell phone but paused with her thumb hovering over the keys. She had no one to call. Of late, Elizabeth had been her only real friend, but she was in California with her boys. She had tried confiding in Nikolas a few days ago, but it had been awkward as she'd railed about the horrors and betrayals of cheating. Nikolas had nodded sympathetically and said all the right things. At the end they both knew that he was Aiden's father and had Elizabeth living at Wyndemere was because they'd carried on an affair and betrayed Lucky.

She thought about calling Brenda or her mother. She knew that chances were her mother was on some sort of dangerous mission and Robin didn't want to be a distraction to her mom when she needed her focus most. And Brenda? She and Brenda hadn't been close in so long, could she really just call her up and unload all her problems on her? They'd spent a couple days together in Africa catching up. A couple days where Robin had told her all about her amazing husband who'd never do anything to hurt her or jeopardize their happiness. He could have been sleeping with Lisa at the very moment Robin was telling Brenda all about how much she trusted him with her heart.

She put the phone back down. How had she let herself become so isolated since she moved back to Port Charles five years ago? Back when she'd been with Jason, Brenda and Mac had often worried that she was wrapped up in him and his life. In some respects they had been right. Robin had completely lost herself in trying to live Jason's lie. But back then Robin had people she could turn to. She'd had Mac and Felicia. Sonny. She'd had Brenda, before Brenda had been thought dead. At other times she'd had Jagger, Karen, and Keisha, the Quartermaines, and Luke. Now Emily, Alan, and Karen were dead. She didn't even know where Keisha was living these days. And while she and Sonny were still friends, she knew that he had more than enough of his own drama to handle without adding hers.

She took a deep breath to steady herself, and ran her hand through her hair. The sound of Emma's cries broke through her thoughts, and she threw off the blanket and went upstairs. She picked her daughter up and held her close. "Mommy's glad you're awake. It was getting a little lonely in my own head." She whispered kissing the baby's head gently.

She moved Emma to the changing table. "You know what the best part of Mommy's suspension? I get to spend all my time with you." She smiled down at her daughter. "What do you say we spend our afternoon at the park? That'll be nice, huh?"

"See, this is nice." She placed Emma in the baby swing and gave her a few gentle pushes. "It's such a pretty day, and who knows how many more of these we're going to have. We're going to enjoy our day, and later Mommy has a little lunch for us in the car."

She kept pushing the swing, loving the sound of her daughter's happy laughter. She looked around the park. There was a youth soccer game at a far field. She could see Emma running up and down the field in a few years. She looked around at all the other kids playing happily. At the parents and nannies sitting and watching on benches. To her eye, everyone looked so light and carefree. She couldn't say that she'd ever been carefree. Too much had happened in her life. But she'd been happy, secure in her marriage and in Patrick's love for her.

She let her eyes sweep the park one more time. This time something in the trees caught her glance. "What the …." She muttered under breath. "Lisa." She stopped the swing and pulled Emma out holding her tight. Her only thought was to get her daughter out of the park and back to Mac's.

She made her way quickly to the parking lot, but pulled up short at the sight of her car. She immediately dug into her purse for her cell phone. She sighed in relief when the other person picked up. "I'm at the park. South parking lot. I need help."

Lucky let out a low whistle as he surveyed the damage to Robin's car. All four tires had been slashed, and the drivers side doors had been keyed. With the drivers side window completely broken out. He turned back to Robin. "Are you okay?"

"I'm a little freaked out." She looked at Lucky helplessly. "I saw Lisa. Emma and I were by the swings, and I saw Lisa hiding in the trees watching us."

Lucky nodded. "What did you do after you saw her?"

"I grabbed Emma and I came here. I wanted to go back to Mac's. This is exactly how I found the car. I didn't touch anything." After years of living with Mac she knew what questions Lucky was going to ask next.

Lucky let out a frustrated breath. "I called Steve. Lisa is signed in at GH. Steve has her making rounds. I sent an officer over to check out the parking garage and the security tapes. Her car is still in her spot, and there's no sign of her on the tapes leaving the hospital." Lisa Niles maybe completely crazy and unraveling faster by the minute, but she was still extremely smart.

"I saw her, Lucky." Robin repeated emphatically. "Lisa did this to my car." Robin didn't have any doubt about it whatsoever.

"I know. I believe you, Robin, but we can't prove it right now." He motioned to another officer. "I want Dr. Scorpio's car towed to impound, and I want forensics to go over every inch of it."

The officer made a note on his pad. "What are we looking for?"

"Anything." He turned back to Robin. "Come on, let's get you and Emma back to Mac's."

Robin met Lucky's steady gaze and then looked down at her precious Emma. "I just wanted to give my daughter a fun day at the park." She could feel her lip tremble and the tears start to pool. "I don't know what to do anymore, Lucky." When was this going to end, was all she could think to herself.

"I know." Lucky wished he had answers for her. He put an arm around her shoulder and walked her to his car. "We're going to figure this out." He promised.


	4. Chapter 4

-1Chapter 4

Robin was in her Uncle Mac's kitchen taking a batch of cookies out of the oven when the doorbell rang. Robin sat the cookies on the counter to cool, grabbed the baby monitor and moved to the living room. Free time was an almost foreign concept to Robin, and she was struggling to find ways to fill her day. Cooking, baking, and doing things around the house seemed like a good way to help Mac and show her appreciation.

She checked to see who was behind the door. When she saw it was her husband she took a deep breath to steady herself and pulled open the door. "What?"

He shifted his weight uncomfortably and waited for Robin to invite him in. When she didn't, he let out a pained breath. "I'm here to see Emma."

"She's napping. You should have called first." She didn't open the door any wider.

"I didn't know I needed an appointment to see my wife and my daughter." He snapped frustrated.

"I'll call you when she's awake, and you can come back." She waited to see if he was going to argue or say anything else.

"I can wait." He tried to move past her into the house, but she blocked him.

"I don't want you here. I'll call you when Emma's awake." She pushed him back and shut the door.

"Robin, come on!" He yelled through the door and pounded on it a couple of times. This was insane; how were they supposed to work things out when she wouldn't even stay in the same room with him.

She pulled the door open again. "Do not wake her up." She hissed quietly. "I mean it. You do not get to play the poor put upon victim here. You created this situation. This is your fault. You cheated. You wrecked our marriage. You brought a deranged dangerous woman into our lives. You did all of that, not me. And I'm sorry if you don't want to hear that or it hurts your feelings ,but it's the truth, and we all have to live with it.

"I just want to know that we have a chance. That we can fix this, and go back to being a family." He said quietly. He wanted to reach out and touch her, but the memory of her backing away from him the last time was still fresh in his mind.

"I don't have any answers for you. I'm still trying to figure all of this out. There's a part of me that can't even believe that this is our lives. And you know from where I'm standing it was pretty easy for you to cheat on me and to keep it quiet. If Lisa hadn't turned out to be completely insane you never would have been honest with me."

"Robin…" He started to respond.

But she cut him off with a shake of her head. "Don't bother denying it, Patrick, we both know you were in no hurry to tell me the truth." She shut the door again and then turned and leaned her back against it.

She pulled her rental car into the driveway of the Spencer house. She sat there for a minute unsure if she should go to the door and knock. She hadn't wanted to be at Mac's when Patrick came to visit with Emma. This was the only place she'd thought to come, and now she worried it was inappropriate that she'd been leaning on Lucky too much these past days. She took a brief look in the rearview mirror at her reflection and forced herself to get out of the car.

"Wasn't sure you were coming in." Lucky said with a smirk as he opened the door.

She came into the living room of the Spencer house and set her purse down. "It kind of dawned on me that maybe you're getting a little tired of me."

Lucky motioned for her to sit down and then joined her on the couch. "I'm enjoying spending time with you. I wish the circumstances were different."

"Patrick is coming over to visit Emma, and I bailed and left Mac and Maxie there to handle it. I saw him earlier, and I just wasn't ready for another round so soon."

"There were times I couldn't be in the same room with Elizabeth. Still is hard sometimes, especially when I see her with Aiden and I think that he could have so easily been mine." He wiped his hands on his pants and stood up. "Can I get you something to drink, water?" He went off to the kitchen.

"Thanks." She took the glass of water from him when he returned. "He would have been lucky to have you, just like Cam and Jake are lucky to have you."

"Sometimes I wonder if when they're teenagers they're going to wish they'd had their real fathers." It wasn't something he had an easy time admitting.

"You are their real father, Lucky. You're the only father they've ever known. You love them that's what matters." She'd seen Lucky with the boys. He was an amazing father, and biology didn't matter one bit to him. In that regard he reminded her so much of her uncle Mac.

"I do my best." He settled back down on the couch next to her. They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes. "You know if you forgive him it doesn't make you weak."

She took a drink of her water and then looked down at the glass in her hand. "I know."

"And if you don't forgive him and you move on that doesn't mean you gave up." He'd done both and he wasn't sure one decision was more right than the other.

She swirled the water remaining in the glass and pretended to be fascinated by the motion. "I know." She turned to Lucky. "His actions have put my baby in danger, and he was going to lie to me forever if Lisa hadn't turned out to be insane. That's worse than the actual cheating in a way. I don't know how to forgive that."

"I think that with time will come perspective and you'll know the right thing for you and Emma. And I think things will be clearer when Lisa is no longer a factor."

She shook her head in agreement knowing that Lucky was probably right. "I don't want to think about it tonight, is that okay?"

"Absolutely." He picked up the remote from the coffee table. "Twilight Zone marathon." He waved the remote enticingly in front of her face. "What do you say?"

She grabbed the remote out of his hand. "Do you have popcorn?"

When Lucky turned the television off and switched the light back on Robin stood up and stretched. "Who knew you were such a sci-fi nerd, Spencer." She commented laughingly.

"Oh come on, Scorpio, you enjoyed it just as much as I did." He grabbed the popcorn bowl and her water glass and disappeared into the kitchen.

"You're right." She said when he returned. "I had a really good time tonight." She looked around for her purse. "I need to get back though. I told Mac where I was, but it's getting late."

"You going to be okay getting home?" He asked, Lisa and what she was capable of creeping back into his thoughts.

"I'll be fine." She hugged Lucky tightly and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Lucky, for everything. I'm glad you're my friend." She wasn't sure where she'd be without him, and was glad she didn't have to find out.

"My pleasure. Text me when you get home so I know you're okay."

"I will." She promised.

He turned on the porch light for and stood in the doorway waiting until she got safely into her car before shutting the door and turning out the light.

She crept up the stairs to her childhood bedroom carefully so as not to wake Emma. "Have a good night?" Her uncle's whispered voice from the top of the stairs caught her attention.

She put her hand to her chest. "You scared me." She was sure she was blushing, and had to remind herself she was a grown woman and her uncle had not just caught her sneaking in after curfew. "I did have a good time. Lucky's a good friend."

"Good." Mac said approvingly. "Emma's fine." He said anticipating her next question. "I was just coming back from checking on her. She's sleeping. Patrick seemed disappointed you weren't here, but he'll get over it."

Robin hugged her uncle and remained in his comforting embrace. Her one constant through everything that life had handed her was Mac and his love and strength. "I love you, Mac. Thank you for taking Emma and I in."

"You're my girls. Always will be." He held her tighter and kissed the top of her head.


End file.
